SHOVEL KNIGHT Launch Trailer is a Bright Light in Our Darkest Hour

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Shovel Knight is out this week on the PC, Wii U, and 3DS and all we get is this very compelling trailer for the 8-bit-style platformer.

The Kickstarter-backed action-adventure game is the first title from indie developer Yacht Club Games, who have a Mac and Linux release somewhere in the pipeline.

From Yacht Club Games:

“Shovel Knight is a sweeping classic action adventure game with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic created by Yacht Club Games. You play as the eponymous Shovel Knight, a small knight with a huge quest. Shovel Knight has come to this valley with two goals: to defeat the evil Enchantress and save his lost beloved. He wields a ShovelBlade; a multipurpose weapon whose techniques have now been lost to the ages. Always honest and helpful, Shovel Knight is a shining example of the code of Shovelry: Slash Mercilessly and Dig Tirelessly!

However, between Shovel Knight and his beloved stands a cadre of villainous knights. These terrible foes, known as The Order of No Quarter, have been dispatched to prevent Shovel Knight from reaching the Enchantress at any cost!”

As far as NES-era homages go, you can’t do a lot better than this one: a Super Mario 3-style overworld with hopping, twirling, dashing enemies in sprite-based environments. Honestly, throw in a little slowdown with too many enemies on screen and it’d be an all-the-way throwback.

Shovel Knight will set you back $15 on the PC (and I’m betting something close to that in the Nintendo eShop).